Expert warns clock change to winter time disrupts brain's internal clock
Neuroscientist Ramona von Leden explains that moving the clocks back this weekend unsettles the suprachiasmatic nucleus, affecting sleep and mood.
Top neuroscientist Ramona von Leden warns that the upcoming return to Greenwich Mean Time will disturb the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the brain area that governs daily rhythms, leading to sleep disruption and lower mood. She advises practical steps such as getting morning sunlight, employing red-light therapy, and dimming lights in the evening to mitigate the effect. Von Leden also traces daylight-saving time back to 19th-century proposals in New Zealand and the UK campaign by William Willett, noting past experiments and current legislative inertia.
The piece cites statistics on seasonal affective disorder and highlights contrasting positions from groups like RoSPA and the British Sleep Society. Finally, she argues that the clock shift offers no energy savings and is largely outdated.
